One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.

 John 5:1-9

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me. John 5:5-7

I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 5:1-9 using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus demonstrates that He has compassion and He is all knowing - omniscient.  He saw the man who had been lying near the pool who had been "invalid for thirty-eight years" (vv5-6).  Jesus sees the pain, the challenges, the suffering, etc. that we experience and He meets us in our of need.  He knows that the man "had already been there a long time." Jesus asks the man whether he wants to be healed and then gives the man two commands (1) to take his bed, and (2) to walk.  The command to take his bed is intentional to begin stirring up Jewish leadership - stay tuned on this. Jesus then heals the man.  At times Jesus' response to pain, challenges, and suffering is to take away these things, and other times it is to equip us to endure so that others can see Jesus working in us.  See also 2 Corinthians 12:9 where Paul shares how he asked God to remove the thorn in his side, but God's response challenged Paul to see how "[God's] grace is sufficient for [him], for [God's] power is made perfect in weakness."  Paul is reminded that the thorn in his side served to "keep [him] from becoming conceited."  God has a plan - sometimes we don't like the plan, but it is perfect.    
• What do we learn from the passage about people?:  The text first describes the man as an invalid (v5) then as sick (v7).  None of God's creation is invalid - all of His creation serves a role and His purpose. We also see others who may not see the least of these (Matthew 25:40) to help them or push their way in front of them (v7).  The man is no longer invalid but instead now he is sick and somehow worthy of healing vs being simply "invalid".  The man believes that stirred water in the pool will heal him yet finds out that Jesus healed him with his words.    
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Do not ever view someone as invalid - all are God's creation and perfect. Claim the promise that God sees all and responds to our cries.  Follow Paul's example to see how God's grace is sufficient.  Help those who need it - the least of these. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and knows all of my pain, challenges, suffering, etc. and You respond.  Thank You Jesus for saving me and for working in my life.  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

 Deuteronomy 33

 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

I pause my study of 1,2,3 John this morning to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today explore how God is working in what we may feel are desperate circumstances which John Piper describes as "a sense of nothingness or helplessness." Piper encourages those who may be feeling this way, or might be in the future, by sharing that God sees everything we experience and He care and loves for us.  Piper writes to those who may be feeling as if they have hit rock bottom: "[H]e is at the bottom waiting to catch you....Yes, he sees you trembling and slipping. He could (and often did) grab you before you hit bottom. But this time he has some new lessons to teach."  We must try and understand how God is at work during these times and this is where we will gain our encouragement...by KNOWING that God is ALWAYS at work, that His design is PERFECT, and whether we see it in this life or when we are in Heaven for eternity, we WILL someday know with full knowledge why God has us in these circumstances - and it is good.  Piper points us to Psalm 119:71 and I lean on Isaiah 64:4, Lamentations 3:25, Romans 8:28 as additional scripture examples that support this message.  As Piper winds down the devotion for today, he shares: "[d]o not think that your wound has come to you apart from God’s gracious design." Piper refers us to Deuteronomy 32:29 as he closes, sharing that God heals and restores.   

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is always at work...and Your designs and plans are perfect.  I have seen this first hand - thank You Jesus for how You have worked in my life and how You continue to work in my life.  I am not deserving of Your hand of grace where my life rests. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day..... He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.

Psalm 5, 6, 7, 10, and 11

God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day..... He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.  Psalm 7:11, 11:4

Day 107 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on 112 of David's psalms which my study has not already covered or will not cover through other daily devotions as part of a broader study within their historical context.  My study groups 112 of David's psalms into five major topical areas, starting today with "Psalms of the Troubled Soul".

I have often seen evil and injustice in the world and from time to time it frustrates me that I don't see justice or punishment for the purveyors of evil or perpetrators of injustice.  Yet as I posted a few days ago, nothing is hidden from God and all will be held to account at the final judgement and

The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.

Ezekiel 8

The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land. v12

As God shows Ezekiel the idol worship practiced in the temple in Jersualem, God tells Ezekiel what the Israelites were saying in verse 12.

There will be times when we have our doubts that God sees us, that He sees pain or suffering in our lives.  However, we should never think God does not see us.  We should also remember that God is always with us.

A vivid example of God "seeing us" is when God heard the cries of Israel during their time of slavery in Egypt (Exodus 2:23-25, Exodus 3:7-10).

See also posts here.

With Jesus Christ, we have a God that will never leave us or forsake us.  See Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5, Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5).

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that You love me, You always hear my cries and my prayers, You see what is going on my life and You are always with me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and blessing.  I worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.